Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

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Sr. Sebastiao Francisco de Mendo Trigozo, who,
strange to say, failed to identify the persons named in this
memorandum, would have us reject this account altogether
as quite improbable (de todo inverisimil). In this we
agree with him if it were intended to describe the reception
of a Cavalleiro into the famous and powerful order of
Christ,1 as is assumed by Murr, Ghillany and Giinther.
Behaim himself certainly laid no claim to that distinction :
had he done so, the habit and badge of the Order—a golden
cross with red enamel—would most certainly have been
shown conspicuously in his family portrait. (See Frontispiece
.) Moreover, in 1485 the Knights of the Order
were still bound by the monastic vows of chastity, poverty
and obedience. It was only after the accession of King
Manuel, in 1495, that the Cavalleiros of the Order were
permitted to marry.2 Yet Behaim married a short time
afterwards, and it will surely not be contended that he
was in a position to obtain a Papal dispensation for doing
such an unlawful thing.

The German historians mentioned above fully accept
the Knighting of Behaim, but they object to the date
given, viz., February 18, 1485—as only a month before,
according to a legend on his Globe, he was still far away
in Africa at Cabo negro, and it would have been utterly
impossible for him to be back in Europe for the ceremony
described. It must, however, be pointed out that in the
date given above, day, month and year are concordant,
that not until 1491 does the 18th of February again fall
on a Friday, and that Behaim had already claimed the
title of a Knight when he turned up at Nuremberg in
1490. Under these circumstances we must either reject
the date on the Globe or that of the above memorandum.
I do not hesitate to do the former. ,

The circumstances described in the above memorandum
bear in every respect the impress of truth. The
King, with the whole of his household, is known to have
left Montemdr o novo (on account of the plague) for Beja
in January, 1485. His route led him through the ancient
town of Alcacovas, where there was a small castle, built
by D. Diniz, in 1290, to which was attached a chapel
dedicated to the Saviour, the ruins of which still exist.
The ceremony described may fairly be supposed to have
taken place within this building.

The Duke of Beja, raised to that dignity in 1484, is
best known to history as King Manuel the Fortunate.

The Mellos of the house of the Counts of Olivenca
might certainly claim to be "cousins" of the King.
Martin Affonso de Mello, guarda mdr or chief esquire of
John I., was able to trace his pedigree back to a son of
King Affonso III. (1248-1279).3 Other Royal connections
are mentioned in the Dedication to Joao de Mello

1 ' Definicoes e Estatutos dos Cavalleiros e Freires da Ordem de N.S.
Jesu Cristo.' Lisbon, 1628.

2 Goes, ' Chron. de D. Manuel' (Lisbon, 1566), I., c. 17.

3 Antonio Caetano de Sousa, ' Historia genealogica da Casa Real
portugueza,' III., 1737, p. 415.

of a reprint of Resende's ' Chronica del Rey Dom Joam
II.' published at Lisbon in 1752.

Quite recently, in } 479, D. Alvaro, Count of Tetugal,
a brother of D. Ferdinand II., Duke of Braganca, and descended
from D. Affonso, the bastard son of King John I.,
had married D. Filippe, the daughter of Rodrigo de
Mello, Count of Olivenca.4 And not only were the
Mellos distantly related to King John II., they were also
held in high favour and employed in honourable offices.
Gomes Soares de Mello, a brother of the Count of
Olivenca, was a Councillor (Cavalleiro do Conselho) of the
King, in 1484; Manuel de Mello held the post of chief
groom of the chamber (Reposteiro mdr), whilst Christovao
de Mello was one of the 111 Cavalleiros fidalgos of the
King's household in the year named.5 Christovao, who
was governor (alcaide mdr) of Evora, was killed in a
skirmish outside Ceuta, in 1488.6

D. Fernao Martins Mascarenhas commanded the
King's Bodyguard (Ginetes) in 1484,7 and certainly was
with the King at that time. In 1488 he commanded a
fleet which was sent to Africa (Morocco), and in 1495 he
stood by the King's death-bed.8

When it is asked what had Behaim done to render
himself deserving of the distinction of a knighthood, we
are referred to his supposed services as an astronomer and
cosmographer. These I have already fully considered, and
suggested that if Behaim accompanied one of the expeditions
to Guinea such a reward might have been appropriately
bestowed upon him. Failing this, it is possible
that Behaim may have been engaged in one of the
numerous skirmishes which took place at Ceuta and elsewhere
in Africa, for the inscription on the memorial
chandelier at Nuremberg tells us that he " stoutly fought
the African Moors."9

It is, however, quite possible that he owed his knighthood
to personal influence. He belonged to an old
Patrician family of the famous Imperial city of Nuremberg
, and these Patricians, or Geschlechter, not only claimed
to be of noble birth, but were certainly superior in wealth,

4 A. Braancamp Freire, ' Livro dos brasoes da Sala de Cintra,' 1901,
I., p. 210. D. Beatriz de Vilhena, their daughter, married in 1500
D. Jorge, the illegitimate son of John II.

5 See A. Caetano de Sousa, ' Provas da historia genealogica,' II., 1742,
pp. 176—181, where are given the names of all persons holding position in
the King's household in 1484. A D. Fernao de Mello, who is described
as a cousin of the King (Paiva Manso, 'Hist, do Congo,' p. 19), was
granted the captaincy of St. Thome in 1499.

6 Ruy de Pina, c. 35 ; Resende, c. 751.
' A. Caetano de Sousa, III., p. 131.

8 Ruy de Pina, ce. 18, 39 ; Garcia de Resende, cc. 53, 76.

1 Wolf Holzschuher, also of Nuremberg and of the same social rank,
having distinguished himself in Africa, was knighted on February 2, 1503,
and granted an augmentation of his arms, consisting of a Moor's head and
the cross of the Order of Christ, a grant confirmed by the Emperor
Charles V. in 1547, in favour of all the members of that Patrician family
(Biedermann, ' Tafel,' 178; Murr, p. 114). An Augsburger, Anton
Herwart, the companion of Miintzer, was knighted on November 24,
1495 (elm. 431, foL 163, in Munich Library).